Wednesday, July 20, 2016

The Top 10 Elements for Writing an Effective Bible Study

If you’re a Bible study author, you’re
a messenger of hope and truth. You’ve most likely read a study that affected
you for good, and you want to be that kind of writer for others. God’s Word has
the power to change lives and heal hearts, revive the soul and break bondage.
As Bible study writers, let’s depend on God for the understanding, wisdom, and
warmth we need to write our studies, and remember to include the most effective
elements in our writing.

Writing Bible studies doesn’t just
involve seeing a treasure in Scripture and writing down thoughts about it.
Writing is both science and art. There are good rules to follow, but there’s
also room for personality and creativity. So what are the ten effective
elements?

Top 10 Elements to Include in Your
Study

10. Good Grammar

Of course, we want to offer excellent
writing to our readers, but sometimes a sentence that sounds good to us may not
sound good to others. Getting feedback from a critique group or writing buddy
is crucial and makes your writing as reader friendly as possible.

9. Tight Writing

A meandering train of thought may lose
your readers’ interest, just as too many words in a sentence can overload them.
Read your study out loud, and as you read, cut out what’s not absolutely
needed. To ease that stress, see my post, 5 Reasons Why Writers Must Overcomethe Pain of Deletion.

Meaningful Prayers

8. Meaningful Prayers

Although this one isn’t seen in too
many Bible studies today, it personalizes the application you make, and turns
your book into a complete aid for a quiet time. Write prayers based on the
principles you teach in your book—prayers that connect the reader to God’s
heart and focus on doing the good He wants us to do. These can be three to five
lines long and strategically placed at the end of each chapter.

7. Thought-Provoking Questions

Ask questions that emphasize the
application you want readers to understand and embrace. Draw out their
experience with the topic, and ask questions that help them discover how to
live out Scripture’s principles in daily life. Avoid questions with yes or no
answers.

The key word is concise. Be sure to
study a passage thoroughly, but limit how much information you pass along to
the reader. Use definitions and commentary notes sparingly. For ideas of how to
explain Scripture, see 8 Tips to Make Scripture Come Alive in Your Writing.

3. A Conversational Voice

Without a conversational voice in your
writing, even the most amazing take-away will fall flat. Let your love for
Scripture, for God, and for the reader come through in the tone of your
writing. Never talk at the reader, but to them as a friend. For 6 ways to
develop your voice, see How to Make Your Writing Conversational.

Enough Application

2. Enough Application

Although this may be a no brainer, I
often get disappointed when a Bible study has too little application. Don’t
save your “take-away” for the last paragraph of a chapter or the last chapter
of your book. Weave great take-away all the way through your book, and give the
reader reason to read every chapter and every page. For 6 types of take-away,
see Creating Great Take-Away for the Reader.

1. Understanding Scripture

Our #1 effective element! As the
indispensable foundation of any great study, understanding Scripture is a
process in which the author takes the time to learn from God what a passage or
book of the Bible means, and how it relates to life today. Numerous tools are
available for understanding Biblical terms and customs, but the best teacher is
God Himself. He wrote the Book. And He helps us as we diligently and
prayerfully write about His Word. Always take enough time to understand
Scripture, and you will reap a reward not just for your readers, but for
yourself. (Stay tuned because I will write more about this element next month!)

Great power resides in your pen or your
keyboard. It’s the power to affect lives for good—a power that comes from God
as we depend on Him to make a difference through our writing. Use that power
well.

9 comments:

As I read your tips, my mind travels to Bible studies I have done and I can see how those elements made the study valuable to me or not and if it left me wanting something more. This is a great outline for completing a Bible study.

Katy, Great information. I will take this list and compare it with my book. Where can I find " For 6 ways to develop your voice, see How to Make Your Writing Conversational?" Is that at your site? Thank you for taking the time to share.

Katy, this is wonderful! As a fellow Bible-study author, I know how important all of these things are. I have both a trusted friend and a critique group to help me make the most of my words. Another key is to study other studies. The talents of other authors - like you - help hone my craft.